English Country Inns

Sitting Edward Hopper–esque on a bluff above Chesil Beach, this circa-1890 residence turned rundown retirement home re-launched again last year, this time—thanks to Tony Mackintosh and Mary-Lou Sturridge, the founder and former MD of London’s exclusive Groucho Club—as a buzzy restaurant and bar with eight bedrooms. While it’s filled with stylish Londoners, it is delightfully unstuffy. Rooms are light, airy, and minimally designed, with natural-fiber mattresses, claw-foot bathtubs, and TVs on request. Meanwhile, chef Alastair Little—forefather of Modern British Cooking—makes use of Dorset’s bounty (sea bass line-caught by a staffer’s son, salad leaves plucked from a field nearby). And barmen are trained to make “perfect classic cocktails.” Around here, Sturridge says, “It is hard to get a good Martini! That's how we aim to make our guests feel at home.” theseasideboardinghouse.com—Christine Ajudua

The country-house hotel is a product of postwar England, yet it evokes the aristocratic past, conjuring the image of ancient dowager duchesses exuding disapproval. “In many cases, customers were scared to drive up, let alone come inside,” says Robin Hutson, the hotelier behind Lime Wood and The Pig. Today, a new kind of country retreat is luring travelers inside with star chefs, foraging excursions and more. Even basic food experiences get an upgrade. At Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, for instance, guest cabins are stocked with pre-bottled cocktails, as well as bread baked on-site and double Gloucester, so you can make cheese on toast if you’re hungry.—Christine Ajudua